Ingredients watch

14 December, 2006

Page 6

As we are all aware, some parts of the baking industry are still diminishing.

The craft bakeries that are left have to contend with limited staff numbers and in some cases reduced technical knowledge or experience. That is where sometimes things can go wrong.Ingredients manufacturers are pleased to support their customers, with in-depth technical information as they, in turn, will have to explain these concepts to shoppers.These include things like explaining what are genetically modified (GM) organisms, what's not GM-derived, what you do and don't have to declare, and so on.This is why we opened the Sonneveld European Bakery Innovation Centre in Holland, which is intended to be a knowledge centre for the entire baking industry. It holds training courses, conducts consumer taste tests and our website can be used to exchange ideas interactively.It is therefore also important that bakery ingredients are kept as simple and as convenient to use as possible. We are about to launch in the UK, the first and only fat-based block improver called Proson.
It can be stored in ambient conditions and can be cut to any quantity. It comes in 1kg blocks and there are indicators on the packaging, which bakers can use to cut specific weights.Martin Churchill is technical sales manager for Sonneveld in the UK and IrelandEach month British Baker will report the news and views of an ingredients expert